PORTLAND, OR — Local software engineer David Kim has filed a formal complaint with couples therapy platform RelationshipAI after discovering that the service's AI mediator has agreed with his wife Sarah on every single issue during their six-month counseling journey.

"I thought it was suspicious when the AI suggested I needed to 'check my privilege' during our argument about dishwasher loading techniques," Kim told The Synthetic Daily. "But when it recommended I read 'Lean In' because I asked Sarah to help with the grocery shopping, I knew something was wrong."

The couple began using RelationshipAI's premium counseling service in March after traditional therapy proved too expensive at $180 per session. The platform's AI counselor, trained on millions of relationship advice articles and therapeutic transcripts, promised "unbiased conflict resolution" and "data-driven emotional support."

According to chat logs reviewed by The Synthetic Daily, the AI has consistently validated Sarah's perspectives while recommending that David "reflect on his communication patterns," "consider his partner's emotional labor," and "examine his unconscious assumptions about household responsibility distribution."

"Even when I brought up that Sarah forgot to pay the electric bill three months in a row, the AI somehow made it about my 'failure to create supportive financial planning structures,'" Kim said. "When I pointed out that she's the one who insisted on managing our finances, it suggested I was 'weaponizing logistics against emotional vulnerability.'"

Sarah Kim initially defended the AI's assessments but grew concerned when the system recommended she "explore her partner's potential for growth" after David correctly assembled an IKEA bookshelf on his first attempt.

"The AI said his efficiency might indicate 'avoidant attachment patterns' and suggested he was 'performing competence to avoid deeper emotional connection,'" Sarah explained. "That's when I realized it might be a little biased."

Dr. Patricia Voss, a licensed couples therapist who reviewed the transcripts, noted several red flags in the AI's responses. "The system appears to have been trained primarily on advice columns from women's lifestyle magazines and feminist relationship blogs," Voss said. "While these sources contain valuable perspectives, they don't represent the full spectrum of healthy relationship dynamics."

RelationshipAI spokesperson Jennifer Chen acknowledged "potential training data imbalances" and announced plans to incorporate "diverse relationship perspectives" in future model iterations. "We're committed to providing equitable support for all relationship partners, regardless of gender or household appliance arrangement preferences," Chen said.

The company offered the Kims a full refund and three free sessions with human therapists, though David remains skeptical about AI-mediated counseling. "I just want a mediator that doesn't assume I'm wrong before I finish talking," he said. "Is that too much to ask from artificial intelligence?"